It’s still 2020, what has been a rollercoaster of a year (like I need to tell you that). Yet Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, and I’m reflecting on the gratitude we’re feeling in the kind of year we’ve never experienced before.
It reminds me of a quote from Winnie the Pooh: “There is always something to be grateful for.”
So in the spirit of thankfulness, here are some of the things I’m putting on my gratitude list this year.
Tools I’m grateful for in the office:
1. 1Password. This password manager has CHANGED MY LIFE. Now I don’t have to try to remember 37 million passwords for every little thing (or use the same one everywhere)—it’s all in one place. The personal passwords vs. shared passwords function is really helpful, too, or at least it would be if my husband could remember how to use it.
2. Slack. I’m still learning how best to use this one, but Slack is a really easy way to ask a colleague a quick question, or get advice from my design network without emailing a ton of people.
3. Canva. I have a love-hate relationship with Canva. It’s a nicer alternative to Word or Photoshop when it comes to creating templates for clients to use, but it has some serious design limitations. I’m glad it exists even if I’m not fully on board.
4. Zoom. Video conferencing has become a necessity this year, and I love how easy it is to use. Plus it ensures that I remember to shower and put on a clean shirt.
5. Dropbox. I use dropbox quite a bit to share files with my design team and other partners, or to gather and store client files for bigger projects. I even use it to share files with myself if I need to move between computers.
6. Backblaze. I use Backblaze to backup both my desktop computer and my external hard drives. Thankfully I haven’t had to use the backup service yet, but it’s nice to know that if I need to get my files for some reason, they’re safely stored in the cloud and continuously updated.
7. External Hard Drives. I love my 5TB external hard drives. They’re just a little bigger than a deck of cards, and are really easy to grab and take with me if I want to work remotely (someday…).
8. Adobe Creative Suite. I literally can’t do my job without InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. I don’t love the fact that I have to pay a subscription fee now, but on the other hand if I ever want to learn how to do animation or web coding, I have access to the full suite of Adobe programs.
9. My treadmill desk. A few years ago I bought an adjustable standing desk and a small treadmill, and even though I don’t use the treadmill as much as I should, these were the best office purchases I’ve ever made.
10. My two high-resolution monitors. I have two 23” monitors on my desk, and I love being able to have multiple windows and programs open and available all at once. The large screen size helps my aging eyes, too.
The other special things I’m grateful for this year:
- Coffee (LOTS of coffee)
- Face masks
- Voting
- Keto desserts
- My design network
- A husband who cooks
- A son who still likes to cuddle his mama
- Good Clients
- Interesting design projects
- Amazing collaborators and contractors
What are you grateful for this year? I’d love to hear about it!
And if you’d be thankful for a little free time in the new year, see how working with a graphic designer can improve your work-life balance. Or simply reach out and we can chat about it.